School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
Organisation profile
Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.
Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.
Main research areas
Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.
Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.
Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.
We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.
Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.
Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.
With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.
Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses
In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.
sPlot "Plant trait-environment relationships across the world's biomes"
Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic) & Haider, S. (Project staff)
01.01.13 → …
Project: Research
SPONSORs Zertifikats
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Schmitt, C. (Coordination) & Sachs, B. (Project staff)
01.07.22 → 30.06.24
Project: Transfer (professional training)
SaM: Stadt als Möglichkeitsraum
Kirchberg, V. (Project manager, academic), Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic), Weisenfeld, U. (Project manager, academic), Kagan, S. (Project manager, academic), Holz, V. (Project staff) & Hauerwaas, A. (Project staff)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.02.15 → 31.01.19
Project: Research
Steuerungsmöglichkeiten des Produkt- und Abfallrechts im Hinblick auf die vermeidbare Obsoleszenz von Elektrogeräten
Dickenhorst, C. (Project manager, academic) & Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
19.03.15 → …
Project: Dissertation project
Storytelling in der Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation - Evidenzen und Perspektiven
Fischer, D. (Project manager, academic), Selm, H. (Coordination) & Sundermann, A. (Project staff)
German Federal Environmental Foundation
01.10.17 → 31.08.22
Project: Research
SAWA: Strategic Alliance for Integrated Water Management Actions
Evers, M. (Project manager, academic)
17.03.08 → 28.04.15
Project: Research
Strategic Marketing and Corporate Reputation towards Corporate Sustainability
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Lee, K.-H. (Project manager, academic)
21.09.09 → 29.04.10
Project: Research
Strategische Umweltprüfung und strategisches Umweltmonitoring für Offshore-Windenergieanlagen
Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic), Nehls, G. (Partner) & Runge, K. (Partner)
01.07.04 → 31.08.05
Project: Research
DAS: Studienpfad für den Beruf als kommunale*r Klimamanager*in
Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic), Möller, S. (Project staff) & Redenius, P. (Project staff)
01.10.22 → 31.03.25
Project: Research
s4f: studies4future - Blog für Gesellschaftsgestaltung
Möller, S. (Project manager, academic)
01.11.21 → 31.12.22
Project: Transfer (Scientific Services)
Sukzessionsforschung und Ableitung waldbaulich nutzbarer Informationen in naturnahen Buchenwäldern mit langjährig ungestörter Walddynamik im Nordostdeutschen Tiefland
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic) & Westphal, C. (Project staff)
01.04.00 → 31.03.03
Project: Research
Sukzessions- und Regenerationsmodelle, vegetationskundliche Referenzsysteme
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic) & Redecker, B. (Project manager, academic)
01.09.97 → 31.03.01
Project: Research
sUMMITDiv "Europe’s alpine flora: past, present and future"
Wipf, S. (Project manager, academic), Haider, S. (Partner), Rixen, C. (Partner), Steinbauer, M. J. (Partner), Jurasinski, G. (Partner), Grytnes, J. A. (Partner) & Bjorkmann, A. (Partner)
10.11.14 → 31.12.18
Project: Research
VSM: Survey on Values, Sustainability, and Strategic Management
Brieger, S. (Project manager, academic), Seidel, J. (Project manager, academic), Sundermann, A. (Project manager, academic) & Strathoff, P. (Project manager, academic)
01.09.14 → 05.10.18
Project: Research
"Sustainability and Digitalization - a European perspective"
Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Trittin-Ulbrich, H. (Partner), Lang, D. J. (Partner) & von Wehrden, H. (Partner)
01.12.19 → 31.08.22
Project: Teaching
Outreach: Sustainability as a challenge for the export economy
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Schock, M. (Project staff) & Buttscher, C. (Project staff)
01.01.08 → 19.08.09
Project: Research
Sustainability assessment of municipal climate protection with a focus on urban energy systems based on systemic analysis and stakeholder perspectives
Bickel, M. (Project manager, academic), Schomerus, T. (Project staff) & Lang, D. J. (Project staff)
01.04.14 → 01.04.17
Project: Dissertation project
Hoch-N: Sustainability at universities: develop - network - report - develop a guideline for the implementation of sustainability aspects for the operation of universities - sub-projects: Research field of action
Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Barth, M. (Project manager, academic) & Kirst, E. (Project staff)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.11.16 → 30.04.21
Project: Research
BSC: Sustainability Balanced Scorecard
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Wagner, M. (Project staff), Hahn, T. (Project staff) & Figge, F. (Project staff)
01.10.00 → 31.12.02
Project: Research